NightScripts
October 2014
Jim Laughter, Editor
The “Word of the Day” is Luftmensch. In case you don’t speak Yiddish, it means “an
impractical dreamer.” Knowing my sister, Hilda would enjoy a new word; I sent the
website wordsmith.org to her. She asked, “Aren’t all dreams impractical?” Stopped me
in my tracks, as her smart remarks often do.
Yes, conventional wisdom dictates that a dreamer is an impractical person. But dreams
are not impractical. Dreams are what historic events are made of. It is what human
beings are made of.
Isn’t it true that most changes in the world were dreamed up by dreamers, who got off
their duffs and batted at windmills, sailed into unknown seas, and slashed mythical and
real dragons?
An idea I have that someone else shrugged off or discarded as impractical is a dream.
Once you do it, it is a memory. Before you do it, it is merely a logistics challenge.
I dreamed of one day being president of TNW, joining the ranks of such stellar
performers as Romney Nesbitt, Carol Johnson, and Bill Wetterman. Well, here I am!
This brings me to Tulsa Night Writers and our impending elections. And you say I am a
DREAMER!
I have served as your president for almost two years. I was asked by Carol Johnson to
run for office and, low and behold, I was the only candidate nominated. (Never trust a
writer!) I’ve had a wonderful group of officers to work with, and we made many some
long-needed, streamlining changes, like removing the “Introducer of the Introducer”
position, key-ring give-away, and the
“Books That Never Die” sale.
Our Treasurer, Bill Wetterman (running again) saved us loads of money by moving our
account to a new bank. Our Newsletter Editor, Jim Laughter (running for president
2015) gave rein to our interest in seeing our names in print by allowing as many pages as
we need for our Brags and workshop info. I never tire of reading about our successes, do
you? Pam Wetterman (Ms. Hospitality) is indispensable at our Welcoming Table. She
has made an art form of the Door Prizes. Our VPs, Karen Graham and Kristin Nador,
brought tremendous energy and talents for outreach to the post. Replacing them will be
our greatest challenge in 2015. Together, we have gained about 20 new members, lost a
few precious ones, and look forward to another 60 years of service to the writing
community. There’s not one Luftmensch among us!
You make a living
by what you get,
but you make a life
by what you give.
-- Winston Churchill
Brags and Farewell
The Tulsa City County Library Fundraiser was a HUGE success! Over 165 were in attendance in the
audience for Jim Stovall's speech on "Turning Ideas into Books, Speeches, Columns, and Movies" and
over 200 shoppers browsed our book sales event. We received great press! Our local authors and the
event were featured in The Examiner, Tulsa World, on Channel 8, KRMG, KTUL, K95, Mix96, OK Writer's,
KWEN, KJSR, KRAV channels of Cox, in the BA Ledger, and in the Tulsa Beacon—not to mention
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and several of our local author’s blogs! We sold over $3700
worth of books as a group and donated over $900 to the Tulsa City County Library Downtown
Renovation Project. $400 in gift cards and 9 book gift baskets stuffed with local author books and other
goodies were given away as door prizes for the event. And we cross-promoted Tulsa Jazz and our local
musicians, too! Sean Al Jibouri opened the event with soothing sounds of jazz guitar! We executed our
event with precision and the library was very grateful. And last but not least, I'm very happy to
announce that the library has already assured me they'd be interested in having another event (so stay
tuned). Thank you to everyone who participated! Pictures of our fellow members and more can be
found here: www.facebook.com/events/840963465914689.
October will be my last month as Vice President of Tulsa NightWriters. The speakers are all scheduled
and there is little left to do in the role of that office for the rest of the year, so I’m stepping down a bit
early and taking a much earned rest. Why? Well, I’m currently running a Warm For The Winter
fundraiser for Iron Gate in Tulsa and have also been asked to become a chair member of another Tulsa
emergency services non-profit starting next year. Given that Books-A-Daisy® has launched two new
authors this year and our inquiries into the services we provide have ramped up, my time is now more
limited than before, so I’m turning my focus to supporting the local writer’s world at large and leaving
you in the capable hands of others who I’m confident will stand up. As I mentioned before, the library
has already expressed interest in working with me again, so I’ll still be out there working for and
supporting local authors and will certainly keep in touch with you all. The Daisy Post, writing resources I
find, local author event opportunities, and other free information that local authors might find
interesting will be posted in the coming weeks on my company site under my blog, FAQs, or event
calendar sections at www.books-a-daisy.com or on my personal Facebook page
www.Facebook.com/karenmariegraham. Be sure to friend me today and let’s keep in touch!
Thanks again for this amazing experience and for the memories! It’s been an honor serving as your VP!
I look forward to making more memories and working with you all in the future!
Sincerely,
Karen Marie Graham
Mark Collier, our September speaker, will be making an encore appearance in October.
Mark is a self-proclaimed computer geek that also happens to be a brilliant marketer
and web designer. He will be sharing a whole new plethora of branding information to
our group in October.
Mark has spent more than 25 years in teaching and leadership positions ranging from
local church staffs to business management and ownership. He launched Big Blue
Designs in 2011 to provide web and graphic design to those who want to communicate
clearly to their audience.
So mark (no pun intended) your calendar for October 21st. We’ll see you at 7 p.m.
Officer Nominations: October is the month we nominate officers to serve the
following year. Current members standing for office in 2015 are Jim Laughter for
President, Bill Wetterman for Treasurer, and Pam Wetterman for Hospitality
Coordinator. Nominations for these offices are still open to other members. Other
offices needing nominations are Vice-President and Newsletter Editor. Please consider
serving Tulsa NightWriters in one of these capacities. Qualifications for office are:
Must be a member in good standing for at least one year, and must have attended at
least 7 of the last 12 meetings. You do not have to be published to serve; only willing.
The election will be held at the November 18th meeting. Offices will be awarded by
popular vote. Installation will take place at the Christmas Party on December 16th.
Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you
volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in. - Marjorie Moore
Carol Lavelle Snow has had two poems accepted
by The Lyric, a poetry journal published in VT and one of
the oldest journals in the country: “Perchance to Dream”
and “Prelude to Spring.” Harp-Strings Poetry Journal
published in FL recently accepted one poem: “Caress.”
Sara Sue Hoklotubbe
Sara Sue Hoklotubbe spoke to a crowd of over 700 people
and signed books at the Library of Congress National
Book Festival in Washington, D.C., on August 30. She
was one of 100 invited authors, one of nine in the
fiction/mystery category. Her presentation was recorded
and will appear on YouTube in the near future. The event
brought in over 200,000 festival goers. What an
experience!
Sara’s newest release, SINKING SUSPICIONS, has six
new five-star reviews on amazon.com which include
phrases such as . . . “wonderfully written” . . . “page
turning mystery” . . . “each character could step off the
page and take up residence in real life” . . . “authentic
modern-day Native American setting” . . . “the writing is
spot on” . . . “a good story well told” . . . “compelling
story.” Click on the book cover to order.
In a review published on August 31, the Sunday Oklahoman said: “Hoklotubbe brilliantly
blends murder and mystery with the lives and lore of modern Cherokees . . . Hoklotubbe
deserves a national audience.”
Sara’s next event is at the Clues Unlimited Book Store in Tucson, AZ on October 25 where she
will discuss “Unraveling the Mystery: Native Sleuths and Storytellers” and sign books.
Jim Laughter
As of this publishing, October 5, 2014, Jim Laughter’s
Galactic Axia Sci/Fi adventure The Horicon
Experience has been in the top 20 on the kindle top 100
best-seller list since March 10, 2014. He is also happy to
announce that he has finished writing his new book, A
Killer in Time, a para-psychological thriller that brings
back to life an infamous serial killer embodied in the
person of modern maniac. Watch for the release soon.
Visit Jim at www.jimlaughter.com
Click on Jim’s picture to visit his Amazon author page
“If I come back,” Mom said, arching her back against the cotton
picksack she dragged down endless rows in the hot autumn sun, “I
want to come back as a rich man’s poodle.”
IF you want to read an excellent article written by Chuck Sasser that
speaks to the heart of our modern world, click on his picture.
Chuck Sasser
Local authors Robert Cooper and J.L. Brook will be joining with
other authors at a book signing event hosted by Peter Biadasz
of Total Publishing and Media, on October 18 from 11 AM to 2
PM, at Barnes and Noble on 71st Street across from Woodland
Hills Malls. We will be launching our debut novels, "Never Let
the Meat Touch the Metal" a World War 2 historical fiction by
Robert Cooper, and "Trickster's Wind", a young adult
fantasy/magical realism story of a dream spinner.
Click these covers to order
First say to yourself what you would be; and
then do what you have to do - Epictetus
ANNOUNCEMENTS
So You Want
To Be A
Published
Author!
You have a book inside you. Maybe you’ve written it.
Now what?
Attend this seminar and learn what the publishing
industry is all about today and how you can achieve your
dream, avoid the scams, and see your book published at
the lowest possible cost.
When: October 11, 2014 9 a.m.to 1 p.m.
Where: 9610 S. Garnett Road
(In the Grace Church Chapel Rooms)
Cost: $35.00
Instructor: Tulsa Author Bill Wetterman
Questions call 918-872-8132
To enroll, Email: bwetterman@cox.net.
Give-aways will close the day.
SEE YOU THERE!
Radine Trees Nehring
Fall is craft fair time in the Ozarks, and I'm signing my novels, including A FAIR
TO DIE FOR at a number of events and locations in October. Among others on
the schedule are the Fall Festival at Arkansas's Hobbs State Park, largest park
in AR. Wonderful Visitor Center, not to mention thousands of acres and
Beaver Lake to enjoy. (East of Rogers on highway 12, Oct. 5, 1-5.) There will
be displays, demonstrations, history tours, and more. Then, I hope to see
many Tulsa Night Writers in Eureka Springs for Ozark Creative Writers, Oct. 911 at Best Western Inn of the Ozarks. On to Mountain View, AR, and Ozark
Folk Center Oct. 23-25. It's "Beanfest" weekend.
www.ozarkfolkcenter.com. Fall fun all over the place!
Radine Trees Nehring, http://www.RadinesBooks.com
****************************
SUBMISSION CALL
Middle Grade Anthology/Novel
The Adventures of Dayton Barnes
Needed:
1500 - 2500 word short stories (Each story is a chapter.)
Looking to fill a 40,000 word volume.
Submission Deadline:
Entries must be received before March 1, 2015
Publication will be August/September of 2015
For more information:
www.jespiddlin.com/DaytonBarnes
ANOTHER WRITING OPPORTUNITY
We received the following announcement from Nimrod, inviting our
writers to submit work for Nimrod International Journal’s
Spring/Summer 2015 thematic issue, “Circulatory Systems: Current
and Connection.” Please find the information on this special issue
below.
Nimrod is a biannual literary journal published at The University of
Tulsa. For more information about us, please visit our website:
www.utulsa.edu/nimrod. Please feel free to contact Eilis O’Neal, their
Editor –in-Chief with any questions about this issue.
Call for Submissions:
Circulatory Systems: Current and Connection
Movement. Connection. Current. The dictionary defines circulation as
“the movement of blood through the body” or “a passage or
transmission from person to person or place to place.” But there are
circulatory systems all around us: connections to each other, to the
external world, and to our internal worlds. What keeps us connected?
What do we do when those connections break? What makes the
movement of a circulatory system vital? How do we enter, leave, or
take part in a circulatory system, when they often have no clear
beginning or end?
For our Spring/Summer 2015 issue, CirculatorySystems: Current
and Connection, Nimrod International Journal is looking for poems,
short stories, and creative nonfiction pieces that play with theidea of
circulatory systems. Ideas of what to send might include work about
·
Rivers, roads, and other pathways that connect us and take us on
expected or unexpected journeys
·
Movement, passages, and transitions of all kinds
·
The human body or medicine
·
The connections of family and relationships, both those that
renew us and those in which the circuit must be severed
·
Cycles of history, rituals, etc.
·
Technology—the circuits of computers or the connecting webs of
social media -- and how they can bring us together or pull us apart
·
The myriad connections and currents of nature, including the
ways that we fit in as humans and/or writers
·
Surprise us! Send something that plays with the theme in a way
that we haven’t even thought of!
Stories and creative nonfiction may be up to 7,500 words; poetry may
be up to 8 pages. All work must be previously unpublished. Please
mark both your cover letter and the outer envelope with “Spring 2015
Theme.” Send a SASE for response. Writers living outside the U.S.
may email their submissions to nimrod@utulsa.edu with the work
pasted into the body of anemail, but writers living inside the U.S. must
mail their submissions. Fiction should be typed, double-spaced with 1”
margins on all sides, one side of plain white paper only. Poetry should
be typed, one side of plain white paper only. You may submit poetry,
fiction, and creative nonfiction, but we ask that they be sent as
separate submissions.
PostmarkDeadline: November 30th, 2014. Manuscripts accepted
beginning September 1st, 2014.
Publication Date: April 2015
Send manuscripts to:
Nimrod Journal
The University of Tulsa
800 S. Tucker Dr.
Tulsa, OK 74104
Questions? Email nimrod@utulsa.edu; call (918) 631-3080; website:
www.utulsa.edu/nimrod
The Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers at OSU-Tulsa, in partnership with The Route
66 Alliance and the OSU Library, presents The Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame, Wednesday,
October 8, 7 p.m., at the OSU-Tulsa auditorium. We will be honoring acclaimed author Joy
Harjo. Our special guests will be Rilla Askew and Michael Wallis.
Tickets are $15, plus handling charges, and may be purchased online at myticketoffice.com or in
person at the Tulsa PAC box office. For phone orders call 918-596-7111. Students, teachers,
and Center members are eligible for discount rates.
To learn more, like The Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers on Facebook.
“Crucial to finding the way is this: there is no beginning or end/You must make your own
map."—Joy Harjo
Tickets are also available now for our upcoming events with Bill Bryson (11/13) and Neil Gaiman
(3/10).
I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing
I do know: The only ones among you who will be
really happy are those who have sought and found
how to serve.
--Albert Schweitzer
I have e-mailed 2015 membership forms out to everyone on my list. If you have been
missed due to error, please e-mail me at bwetterman@cox.net and I’ll send you a form.
We’ll be having a great meeting in October, featuring Mark Colliers. You can drop off
your form and money to me at that meeting.
Christmas Flash Fiction Contest
The tradition continues! The first five words are: She clung to the edge . . .
Write a complete story in 500 words or less. Double spaced, New Times Roman 12.
Mail it to Lottie Wilds
132 W. Bryan Ave.,
Sapulpa, OK 74066
or give it to her at a meeting by November 19. DO NOT PUT YOU NAME ON YOUR
ENTRY. Lottie will keep track of the entries and the money. She will find a published
author to read the entries and award the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place cash prize winners.
Honorable mentions may or may not be awarded at the judge’s discretion.
You may enter up to (3) stories. The entry fee is $5.00 per entry.
SO YOUWANT TO BE A PUBLISHED AUTHOR
There is still time to enroll for this seminar. But do it quickly. I’m preparing the handouts
at this printing. I need to know if you are coming by October 7, so I’ll have enough for all
attendees. Bring writing materials and be prepared to take notes.
Lottie Wilds, President
Karen Graham, V-Pres.
Bill Wetterman, Treasurer
Pan Wetterman, Hospitality
Jim Laughter, Editor
TNW Officers for 2014
President
Lottie Wilds
lottiewilds@yahoo.com
Vice President Karen Marie Graham
karenmariegraham@gmail.com
Treasurer
Bill Wetterman
bwetterman@cox.net
Hospitality
Pam Wetterman
pwetterman@cox.net
NightScripts Editor Jim Laughter
jimlaughter@att.net
Schedule of 2014 Meetings
October 21 - Mark Collier
Marketing and Web Design
Officer nominations
November 18 – OWFI writing contest panel
Officer elections
December 16 – Christmas Party
Location: The home of Kathlyn Smith.
Address and directions in the
November & December newsletters.
The 2015 Officer elections will be on us
soon. It’s time to start thinking about
how you can serve.
Do you have an idea to strengthen the Tulsa NightWriters? Send any ideas,
suggestions, speaker recommendation, etc. by email to the officer of your choice.
Click on this banner to visit the Tulsa NightWriters website.
71st & Memorial/ Tulsa/Center Court
AUTOGRAPHED BOOKS ARE PERFECT GIFTS FOR MOTHER’S DAY & FATHER’S DAY